God's Divine Guidance Through The Holy Spirit Acts 16:6-10

My sermon today aims to show you how Paul and his companions waited on God’s divine guidance through the Holy Spirit to lead them on their 2nd missionary journey to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in Europe. Their reliance on the Holy Spirit should encourage us to wait on God’s divine guidance through the Holy Spirit in making decisions that pertain to life and ministry, knowing that by doing so it will accomplish God’s will for our life.

OBEDIENCE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT (vv.6-7)

Acts 16:6–7 “Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.

When we last read about Paul, Silas, and Timothy (vv. 4-5) they had finished traveling to the churches in each town delivering the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders at the Jerusalem council for the people to observe, and once they had observed that churches were strengthen in the faith and grew daily in numbers, Paul and his companions went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia and this is when the Holy Spirit prevented them to preach the word in Asia.

In obedience to the Holy Spirit, they moved northward and came to Mysia, and they tried to go into Bithynia to preach the word to the people, but once again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. Now we are not told why the Holy Spirit prevented them from going into those two cities to preach the word to those people. I will go so far to say that it isn’t important to know why the Holy Spirit prevented them from going into those two cities; what is important for us to know is their obedience to the Holy Spirit's direction not to go into those cities, and that is all that matters.

Now, from a gospel outreach aspect, we can ask this question. Didn’t the people in those two cities need to hear Paul and his companions preach the gospel? And the answer is yes, but God didn’t want them to do so at that time. You see, you must understand something vitally important and that is our timing of wanting to do things can never overstep God’s timing. For whatever reason, God didn’t want them going into those cities, not at that time, but later in those regions, there would be churches established in cities in Ephesus, Philadelphia, Smyrna, Laodicea, Colossae, Sardis, Pergamum, and Thyatira. But at this time God’s divine guidance through the Holy Spirit, He prevented them from going into those cities, and Paul and his companions were obedient to the Holy Spirit’s direction and were willing to wait on God’s guidance.

Some of you tend to be impatient and fail to wait on God’s guidance, and you try to get ahead of God, and then when things don’t go as you plan you expect God to catch up to your mistakes and fix what you messed up. When you are impatient and fail to wait on God’s guidance, you are revealing your lack of faith in trusting God because He isn’t moving fast enough according to your timetable. God doesn’t operate by your timetable, God is sovereign and moves according to His will not yours or mine.

Wanting to make decisions and act upon things while ignoring the clear warnings by the Holy Spirit not to do certain things will result in you finding yourself in deeper trouble. But had you not been anxious about making those bad decisions and prayed first, you wouldn’t be in those bad situations in the first place.

Philippians 4:6–7“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

If you would have waited on God you would not be without strength and having feelings of weariness.

Isaiah 40:31“But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

God’s Divine Guidance Through The Macedonian Vision

Acts 16:8–10“So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

The gospel is making its way to Europe. As Paul and his companions pass by Mysia they travel down to Troas, which is a large seaport in Northwest Asia Minor. It was there during the night God sent a vision to Paul of a man from Macedonia who stood and pleaded with Paul, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” This was a cry for the need for salvation.

Macedonia is in Northern Greece, a Roman Providence. Why is this important to know? It is because the Greeks considered the Macedonians barbarians who worshiped the same pagan gods as they did. By God’s providence He sent Paul this vision of a Macedonian man asking for help, the need for salvation, and God needed Paul and his group of missionaries to fulfill His purpose to save the most barbaric-pagan people that He had chosen for repentance, after hearing the gospel, and to receive Christ by faith for their salvation. Isn’t God a wonder-working God?

God’s divine guidance through this vision gives us a clearer understanding as to why the Holy Spirit prevented Paul and his companions from going into those cities at that time. God was directing their route according to His plan and purpose to save who He wanted to save. We must allow God to lead us to where He wants to do His work of salvation in the lives of those whom He has chosen to save.

I want to go back to v.10 briefly, it says, Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

This is the first time the word “we” is used in this narrative and the word “we” extends to passages from 10-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-18; 27:1-37; 28:1-16, the word “we” lets us know that Luke, the writer of the book of Acts, has joined Paul, Silas, and Timothy. And together they immediately concluded that God had called them to preach the gospel in Macedonia and throughout Europe.                                                                                                                                          

What we discover from Paul and his companions is a lesson in discerning the will of God and not your own will. This is also a lesson in obedience to the Holy Spirit.

We need God’s guidance through the Holy Spirit to help us make up our minds when making difficult decisions.

Let me point out several things that will cause you to make bad decisions.

You fail to consult the word of God.

You don’t pray for God’s direction.

You refuse to listen to the warning from the Holy Spirit.

You are being tempted to do something that isn’t according to God’s will.

Here are some steps that we can take to help us make up our minds when making difficult decisions.

Our decisions must begin with trusting God.

Proverbs 3:5–6“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

Matthew 6:31–33“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” 

Asking God for guidance in making our decisions.

Psalm 25:4–5“Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.”

Meditate on the word of God to make the right decisions.

Psalm 119:104–105“Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

Psalm 119:130“The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.”

Reliance on prayer.

Matthew 7:7–11““Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

Reliance on the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

John 16:13–15“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

Our reliance on God’s Divine Guidance through the Holy Spirit will never lead us down the wrong path in our life; it will help us tremendously in making the right decisions for our life; it will grow us spiritually; it will strengthen our prayer life; it will cause us to depend on His word; it will give us spiritual discernment; and help to develop a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father.